Nuapada: Paddy stocks from neighbouring Chhattisgarh are reportedly making their way into the paddy procurement centres (mandis) in this district at the cost of the local farmers courtesy some unscrupulous traders, a report said Thursday.
The matter came to fore after a team of supply and RMC officials seized over 260 bags of paddy from the godowns and houses of two paddy traders following a tip-off from a vigilant women self-help group engaged in paddy procurement at Sarabang mandi.
It is alleged that these unscrupulous traders were procuring paddy at a very lower price from Chhattisgarh and manipulating registers in the mandis to show that the supplies have been purchased from the local farmers. This has hit the local farmers hard as they fail to sell their stocks in the mandis and earn a living.
This has come at a time when the state government is laying stress on paddy procurement from the local farmers at the right time and payment of minimum support price (MSP) to them to help them earn their livelihood.
The illegality was caught when women members of Srikrishna SHG caught two paddy loaded tractors from Chhattisgarh unloading in Sarabang village. The stocks were being unloaded for sale in the Sarabang mandi, which is the biggest mandi in Nuapada district.
This mandi was in the centre of controversy last year for serious manipulation and misappropriation in paddy procurement process. Aware of the matter, the district Collector Madhusmita Sahu engaged Srikrishna SHG in paddy procurement. The Collector also tagged the millers of Bargarh district to break the monopoly of local millers.
Directed by the Collector, a team of supply and regulated market committee (RMC) officials raided the place and seized 60 bags of paddy stocks from two godowns of a trader Deolal Sahu. Later, the team also seized 200 bags of paddy from the house of another trader Ganpat Keunta.
Additional district supply officer (ADSO) Khanduram Nayak, block supply officer Navin Kumar Bag and RMC secretary Lal Bihari Das participated in the raid.
When contacted, the RMC secretary said that a probe has been launched and action will be taken after completion of the probe.